Matilda, Queen of Germany

Feast Day: March 14

Matilda was from a royal family in Denmark and was raised by her grandmother, who was an abbess in a convent. Matilda became Queen of Germany when she married King Henry I. As queen, she put her faith into action. She treated the people of Germany as children of God rather than her subjects. She was a generous person and wanted all people to share equally in the blessings of life. Her good deeds were an example to King Henry. They worked together to help all the citizens of Germany to have better lives.

When Henry died after 17 years of marriage, she continued to help the poor and neglected people of her country. But her sons accused her of wasting the family’s money on strangers. To put an end to the fighting, Matilda gave up her share of the money she had inherited from King Henry. She retired to the country house where she was born in 895 to live a prayerful life and to help the people of her village.

Matilda was called back to the castle when her sons had trouble ruling the country. They begged her forgiveness for treating her so cruelly. Once again, Matilda was able to begin helping people in need and working to help the people of Germany come to know and love Jesus.

In her later years, she was responsible for the building of convents, churches, and a monastery. She was loved by the people of Germany who saw her as an example of God’s love for his people. We honor Matilda as a saint. Her life teaches us that people can learn about Jesus through the love and care we share with them.